Long Island’s Spallina named head coach of Stony Brook women

Joe Spallina, a lifelong resident of Long Island and winner of three consecutive NCAA Division II national championships as the head coach of the Adelphi University women’s lacrosse program, has been named the head women’s lacrosse coach at Stony Brook University, Director of Athletics Jim Fiore announced Wednesday.

“We are thrilled that we have found a head coach who is representative of the type of program we want to have here at Stony Brook – tough, competitive, tenacious and smart,” Fiore said. “Coach Spallina has proven to be committed to student-athlete excellence on and off the field. He has produced national championships by continually recruiting the top local talent on Long Island, and his record speaks for itself. Joe knows Long Island women’s lacrosse, as well as, if not better than anyone, and I think he is the perfect fit to raise Stony Brook’s profile in what is clearly becoming one of the most popular and fastest growing college sports in the country.”

Spallina spent the last four seasons as the head coach at Adelphi, producing a dominant 73-2 (.973) record and an NCAA-record three consecutive Division II national championships, including in 2011 when his team defeated Limestone in the title game on its home field on May 22. The victory completed a perfect 20-0 season and was the team’s 26th consecutive win. Spallina’s Panthers were the wire-to-wire No. 1 ranked team in the nation according to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll.

“I am incredibly excited about this phenomenal opportunity to become the head coach of the Stony Brook University women’s lacrosse team,” Spallina said. “My wife, Mary Beth, and I recognize just how impressive Stony Brook University is, and we are committed to working with the administration, the student-athletes and the entire community to take the women’s lacrosse program to new heights. We will not stop until we achieve the highest levels of success. As we prepare to compete for championships at Stony Brook and to continue to build a strong brand, it is also important that I express my sincere appreciation to everyone at Adelphi University for the exceptional experience I had there during the past four years. As a lifelong resident of Long Island, it has been and will continue to be my great honor to represent the strongest lacrosse community in the nation here on Long Island as the newest member of the Seawolf family.”